The right to vote is enshrined in all the declarations, Conventions and human rights acts across the Western world. This right shouldn't be infringed upon for any reason as it allows for discrimination and dehumanisation.

From a historical point-of-view, This is evident. Slaves didn't have the right to vote and they were dehumanised, People of different races were seen as lesser humans so couldn't vote. Similarly, With women, They were not equal to men so shouldn't have the equal right to vote. For prisoners, They could be mistreated, Abused and laws could be passed to facilitate this as long as the governing party didn't have to worry about them voting for the oppositional parties.

In order for an equal society, We must have equal rights. People often talk about criminals as if we should lock them away and throw away the key, But this poses the question, What is the purpose of prisons?

If it is for reform and to integrate criminals as functioning and civic-minded members of society, Then the ability to vote is key. Participation in the democratic process has been proven to increase civic-mindedness and engage people in the society they live in.

You break the law, So you don't get to make the law. An offender has been sent to prison for a reason, And that reason is that he/she has broken the law. Their best interests weren't obeying or cooperating with the law, They aren't law-abiding citizens, So, Therefore, They are unfit to judge a reasonable vote that will benefit their nation. Prisons should focus on making prisoners realise their wrongdoing and regret their decisions. It shouldn't gift them the feeling of dignity, That should only occur when they have served their time, Hopefully learnt from their previous actions and released. That's when they will become a functioning and responsible member of society.

Voting is a privilege, Not a right. This privilege is withdrawn from you when your no longer a functions member of society when you're a burden to the laws of the nation your staying in. If prisoners could vote, They could possibly vote for corrupt leaders or bad laws. For example, A candidate states, "If you vote for me, I will produce nicer prisons. " Why would we want this? Would you want a murder to have the privilege of voting for the leader of our nation? Would you want prisoners to receive the exact same privileges, Benefits and responsibilities as an upstanding citizen? If so, Then what's the purpose of prison?

We have certain restrictions upon certain people. We don't let people under the age of 18 to vote, Why? Because they don't have the judgment yet. We don't let some people who have mental disabilities, Such as autism to vote, Why? The exact same reason for my other example, Because we don't trust their judgment until they reach a certain age. Its the same with prisoners. They lack the judgment (obvious by their previous crime) to provide a reasonable vote. , Therefore prisoners shouldn't be allowed to vote.